Just Dough It!!!

Here is a fun idea - Have you ever had soup in a Bread Bowl? I have always had a little thing for bread bowls for soups and also for salads.. So, I decided to make them at home.

You will need:
Frozen Bread Dough (1 loaf makes 3 bowls)
1 Egg

First - wrap plastic wrap around the frozen bread dough and let thaw but not rise.  When thawed, cut each loaf into 3 parts.

Prepare baking sheet with non stick spray. Roll dough into balls and place on baking sheet.

Brush dough with egg.

Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Place in a draft free place to allow them to rise.

Now since we keep our house fairly cold which is not a "friendly environment" for rising dough - I usually put dough into the oven and turn on the light to warm it up in there a bit. Let the dough rise until it's double in size.

When double in size - remove plastic wrap and preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Bake approx 20 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool completely. You can even make them a day ahead.

When you are ready to serve, slice off the top and scoop out the "bowl". Fill with soup and enjoy!! YUMMY!!

We had Chili in them - but another good soup for the bread bowl is the Chicken Wild Rice soup from Crafty Vegas Mom - I've made it multiple times and it's SO GOOD. 

Enjoy! 

Need a Giggle??

Some days I really really love Facebook.


I saw this picture posted yesterday of my niece who happens to be away at her first year of college. She has always been a funny girl.. but this picture is such a HOOT (pun intended) I just had to share.

Anyone have a quarter.. or two??!

Let's put our heads together!

I need some help from all you seasoned quilters!

I'm working on this T-Shirt quilt for a dear friend's daughter. I am almost done with the top - just need to even out the bottom and add my borders (which I plan on doing today). Then I will be ready to baste and quilt it.

That is where you come in. I have been struggling with how to quilt this baby.

Here are the options I have come up with so far. Keep in mind that I always feel "free motion challenged" but I refuse to give up.

1. Put on the walking foot and do straight line quilting.
       Pros: Easy
       Cons: with the black and white contrast of the blocks - what color thread would I use? If I use black,    
       would it be distracting across the white blocks? If I use white thread, would it be distracting across the
       black blocks and sashing?
2. I could do an all over stipple using varigated black/grey/white thread and avoid the "wording" on the tshirts so it stands out more?

OR - I'm open to any other suggestions that you all might have. So jump in.. give me your 2 cents.

Are you looking for the Winner?

If you are wondering who the lucky FNSI participant is this month... Click HERE to go to Crafty Vegas Mom and see who it is!!

As we mentioned in the sign up post - in 2011, we are only selecting one winner monthly rather than 2 :'(

But with the Canton Village Quilt Works 10% DISCOUNT this week - we are all winners! Don't forget to go over there and start planning those spring projects! Remember to use Promo Code FNSI10 at checkout!

A Very Productive Night...

...that would soon come to a screaching halt! More on that in a minute.

So with the beginning of each New Year, it's natural to look back and reflect on the year that has just passed us by. Some of the things I've been thinking about are....

- the success of the Friday Night Sew-In. ALL I can say is WOW!! We have helped and encouraged each other to get things done every month! And it's been so fun along the way! We have so many new people joining us all the time and we love having each and everyone of you! And there are a few of you that have been with Bobbi and I from the beginning. You know who you are.. and so do we! Thank you!

- the success of my little blog. So amazing and humbling. I work best when I have deadlines - and having things to share with you all has kept me on track and accountable. Thank you!!

And finally - I reflected on all my UNFINISHED PROJECTS!! YIKES!

I cannot move forward in 2011 knowing that I have left so many things undone. Therefore, I have decided that I need to finish atleast 1 project a month that I started in 2010 (starting in February. LOL)

So for my Friday Night Sew-In last night - I made huge leaps in getting 3 projects complete.

Last year I started 2 Pinwheel Sampler Quilts. I finally sat down and finished ALL the blocks for both of them. This was VERY exciting for me!

I am planning to lay them both out today and hopefully get the tops finalized. (notice I didn't say sewn together? Just finalized)

And I also worked on some more of my 9patch blocks for my 9 Patch Quilt that I started last year as well. I can't wait to get this one done.. I love the 9 Patch Quilt. And I'm using all scrap fabrics for this project which makes it even more fun and satisfying.

And just when I thought I was on a roll - after almost 4 hours of sewing, my oldest came to me in tears because of a sore throat that had been bothering him since Thursday. Why do these things wait until the dark of night? He doesn't cry very often.. so I knew it was bad. So, I packed it up and ventured out into the COLD and snowy night to take him to Urgent Care.

And a couple hours and a throat culture later - confirmed strep throat. Poor kid!

But wanna hear something scary?? I shared an ice cream cone with him during the day. You know.. like any good Mom does when their childs ice cream cone is dripping all over the car their little hands.. we step in and do some licking to help them keep up. Let's hope I'm not paying for it in a few days!!

Get it while it's HOT!

Let me first say that Bobbi and I love the Friday Night Sew-In and we truly appreciate all of you sewing with us each month!

In honor of the Friday Night Sew-In, we are so happy to announce that Canton Village Quilt Works has decided to offer all of you 10% of your entire order for one week - starting tomorrow 1/21 thru 1/28.

Yes - you read that right.. 10% off your ENTIRE order. Starting Friday 1/21 - just use the promotion code FNSI10 in the Canton Village Online Store

So now is the time to start planning a project for the February Friday Night Sew-in with some new fabric from Canton Village!!

Or if you are lucky enough to have an AccuQuilt Go - You will for sure want to read the Canton Village Quilt Works blog. She has a book review and giveaway for a pattern book for the AccuQuilt Go that looks great.

If you haven't signed up for the Friday Night Sew-In tomorrow night.. what are you waiting for??!! Click here to hang out with the cool people!

January Friday Night Sew-In.. Signups finally here!

Boy oh boy... January has FLOWN by this year! Bobbi and I were just talking and can't believe that the next FNSI is just days away!!

We are so ready for the Sew-In this coming Friday!

So if you are as excited as Bobbi and I and want to participate in the Friday Night Sew-in this month.. add your name to the list below!

If you are new and need to know how it works.. here are the details:

1. Enter your blog info below. **If you don't have a blog - you can enter the Flickr group link as your URL.

2. Make a post on your blog - letting all your readers know about the sew-in. Spread the word.. we could all use the virtual sewing support and encouragement.

3. On Friday – 01/21/2011 - Get your house settled, put on your comfy jammies.. maybe make a cup of tea or pour a glass of wine.. and sit down to work on some of those projects.

4. Then, sometime on Saturday - publish a post about what you worked on.. show us a picture or two on Flickr. There is a FNSI group on Flickr if you haven't already joined. Totally optional.

And finally - on Sunday 01/22, we will enter all participants into a drawing for the GIVEAWAY!! Bobbi will be drawing the winner this month and sending the lucky person a box of goodies!

Hugs.. Mugs.. and Rugs..

Well, I'm finally ready to hop on the "mug-rug" wave. I've seen so many of you crafty people out there making them and just couldn't hold back anymore.

I belong to the "Label Crew" offered by Sweetwater. And our January packet included these super cute labels and a pattern to make the Mug Mat's.

I decided to make them for Valentines Day Teacher gifts. As you may already know - I am big into showing my kids teachers how much we appreciate them every year. I have two very "active" boys who nearly drive me to the edge of insanity on a daily basis... ok, maybe not daily, but often enough. And I can't imagine how hard it is for a teacher when she's surrounded by 20 or more kids for 6 hours a day.

Anyway - here is a great idea for a teacher in your kids life. Or maybe someone special.. like a neighbor who watches your house when you are away.. or a fellow Mom who drives carpool.. or a coworker.. so many ideas.

I made the mug mats - bought a coffee mug and some Kisses.

Took some scrapbook paper and a "Tag Punch" to make gift tags.

Wrapped it all up for the teacher.

Another idea is to just take the Mug Mat - roll it and tie it up like this.

I made these for 2 helpers in my youngest son's class. One of them is a teachers aide who helps in class every day. And the other is a classmates Mom who volunteers to help in the class ALL THE TIME! Everytime I am there to help with reading - she is there helping too!  

Fabric Dreams.. Spring is around the corner!

On our way home today from some shopping over in Wisconsin - we stopped to check the mail. I felt like Steve Martin in that scene from that movie The Jerk - "The new phonebooks here.. the new phonebooks here".. except I was saying "The new catalog is here.. the new catalog is here".

The scene in our car went something like this..
"Dad, is Mom ok?"
"Son, she's never been quite right."

Do you get the Hancocks of Paducah catalog? Each time it arrives, I page though over and over.. falling in love with fabric. I love being able to see the new lines all on one page. It's 167 pages of pure prettiness.

If you aren't on their mailing list.. click here to sign up!

On my first pass through the catalog - this new line for Michael Miller jumped out at me. It's called "Gypsy Bandana" by Pillow & Maxfield. I want to make a quilt using the "Gypsy Rose" colorway from this line!



click picture to go to Michael Miller and see the line

I also learned on page 146 that they are now offering Dr Seuss Flannel Prints. It would be so cute to make some PJ Boxers for my boys using this flannel! 

I also received the new Connecting Threads catalog. Do you receive this one? I have no clue how I ended up on their mailing list.. but I'm glad I did.

I love this catalog too - so many cute kits and patterns. And their prices are so reasonable!

So today with the COLD temps we are experiencing up here where I live, I think I'll be curling up on the couch after dinner and dreaming of spring fabrics.

How about you? Tell me about some of the Fabric lines you are excited about this year!

Bulletproof?

Pel Tex interfacing - have you ever used it for anything? I used it recently and I'm wondering if this is what they use inside bulletproof vests? Ok, not really.. but it's crazy strong. Check it out..

 I made these handy organizers and I love how they turned out. So easy to make. The pattern is from Atkinson Designs and can be seen HERE.

 The directions are for two different sizes - one square and one rectangle. They have lots of pockets on inside and two zipper pockets on the outside.

The long one would be good for a mail organizer to keep on the kitchen counter.. or next to your favorite chair.

 I've been using the square one as my little sewing caddy. I carry all my hand sewing things in here along with things that I want to bring down to my sewing room (rotary blades)

Some of the other possible uses suggested by the pattern designer are to keep next to your sewing machine, or on your desk at work or in the bathroom. Or a fun organizer for a favorite Teacher? The possibilities are endless. And I love how strong they are!

So if you are looking for a fun organizer made by you with some of your favorite fabric.. check out this pattern and make one! But be careful.. you'll be hooked!

Death by Chocolate

Ok.. maybe not "death"... but too much could equal a stomach ache. Not that I would know.

I know some of you might be on that "New Years Diet" - and to you I appologize in advance for what I am about to share. And to the rest of you.. get ready for something easy and heavenly.

My niece on the husbands side of the family is currently home for Christmas break from her first year of college. It was great to see her - especially after she made this pie for the family ME!

You will need:

1 Premade Graham Cracker Crust

1 cup Milk

1 cup Vanilla Ice cream

1 small box instant Vanilla pudding

1 small box instant Chocolate pudding

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 small Cool Whip

1 Chocolate Bar

 Set the Cool Whip and Chocolate Bar aside for now. You won't need them until the end. Take the other ingredients and put them all into a bowl. Mix them until completely blended.

 Pour into the Graham Cracker Crust.

 Put lid on pie and put in fridge to chill for 2 hours or more.

 When ready to serve - top with Cool Whip

 Then take a chunk of your chocolate bar and "shave" over pie. I used a cheese grater... nothing fancy. I only used 1/4 of the candy bar.

 And finally you will need to employ self control and start with just one piece.. yummmmmm....

Disclaimers:
- I couldn't get flash to work on the last few pictures - sorry about color. I can't go back and retake them because.. well, the kids ate 1/2 the pie. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

- Excuse the paper plate please. The kitchen was clean and I didn't want to dirty a dish.

- I may or may not have had a piece for breakfast today... just saying!

New Years Giveaway!

We have a WINNER!! Thanks to Random.org which selected #45 - Sunny from http://sunny-quiltingdreams.blogspot.com/ is our lucky winner of the pattern this month.

Send me your info Sunny and I will get this in the mail to you! Congrats!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are as optimistic as I am about the year to come. My husband and I agree that 2011 is going to be a good year for us! After the stress of moving across country in 2010 - we are both looking forward to settleing back into a nice routine.

I'm not a big "resolution" person - but this year I am planning to push myself toward better "time management". We'll see how that works.

Well, the votes are in and I agree! And a monthly giveaway of the "Patch Abilities" Pattern is what I will do. So each month - after I finish my mini quilt, I will post a giveaway for the pattern. This is a win win - because it will push me to make the pattern asap!

And after reading more on the Patch Abilities website - I learned that you can't buy the patterns for 2011 alone until 2012. The only way to get them is by joining the monthly 'club' for 2011. You can buy individual patterns for previous years - but not 2011.

Anyway - on to the giveaway. I'm also going to include a button pack with the pattern. I just need to go to the quilt store and pick one up. They were closed all weekend for New Years! Don't they know when a quilter needs supplies.. we want them NOW! lol

As always.. NO HOOPS!! Just leave a comment for a chance to win.

Maybe you could tell me what you did for New Years Eve?

I will leave the giveaway open until Tuesday morning - 6am CST.